This North Carolina Coffee Group Is Making Civil Conversations Great Again
Image by Courtesy Steve Mostofsky
I am part of a group that gathers at a local Starbucks in North Carolina most mornings. I am 1 of 4 of the most regular. We are a diverse group. 3 are transplants from the New York metro area, and 1 is a local. 2 of us voted for Donald Trump, 2 for Hillary Clinton. Conversation during the election were very “interesting.” Frankly, towards the end, when our local friend was with us, we turned from politics to sports.
This group has been together for over 10 years. I would have never imagined the local and I would become what I consider good friends. I am a Jewish “kid” who grew up in The Bronx. My friend is an ex-fireman, born again Christian who grew up on a farm that is now surrounded by suburban sprawl.
My friend’s mother recently passed, and he has decided to move to a more rural part of the state that would replicate his home when he was growing up. I will miss getting his point of view — and I hope he will miss getting mine.
"Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief"
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
